I've been on an Asian kick lately. It's new to me as far as cooking goes, but I've loved the flavors my whole life. I bought some kimchi the other day and wanted to incorporate it into something I was already familiar with making, so I decided to try kimchi fried rice. I've been making fried rice forever. I love the way you can use leftovers to make a new variety of fried rice every time. Today I added some chicken tenders but use whatever you have on hand like pork or beef or just vegetables. You can also make it as spicy or mild as you like. Here's what you'll need:

4 C cold, cooked rice

1 C kimchi, chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 carrots

8-10 mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp grated, fresh ginger

serrano pepper, sliced (to taste, I used about 1/2)

2 TBL soy sauce

2 TBL rice wine vinegar

1 C chopped, cooked meat (I used chicken tenders. You can also use shrimp, beef or pork)

2 eggs

cooking oil

The first thing i learned about Asian cooking is that preparation is key. Start by cutting the carrots into julienne strips. I use my amazing peeler/cutter that makes perfect strips using a vegetable peeling type motion. I love it! Also, slice the mushroom and Serrano, mince the garlic and ginger, and chop the kimchi.

The next thing I learned about most Asian cooking is that it's done with high heat. That's why the prep is so important because once you start cooking you won't have time to stop and chop. With fried rice, you need a big enough cooking surface that you are able to spread out the ingredients to quick cook them rather than pile them up and steam them. I use my built in griddle, but a large wok or skillet or a stove top griddle also work.

Begin by heating the cook surface until it's smoking hot. Add a couple of tablespoons of oil and then the carrots and peppers and stir, cooking for about 2 minutes or until the veggies start to soften.

Add the minced garlic and ginger and stir. Add more oil if needed.

Add the sliced mushrooms and stir, cooking until slightly softened. Add more oil if needed.

Add the kimchi and cook several more minutes. Add more oil iff needed.

Now it's time to add the rice. Today I had leftover brown rice so that's what I used. It's very important to add the rice while it's still cold. If you don't, it will have more of a gummy texture.

Break up the rice and stir it to get all the veggies incorporated.

Stir in the rice wine vinegar.

Add the soy sauce.

Add the chopped chicken tenders or any other meat of your choice.

It's now time for the egg. The traditional way to add the egg is to scramble the egg an chop the cooked egg and add it to the rice. If that's your choice, do that now.

Lately, I'm addicted to the runny yolk of a sunny side up egg, so that's what I did here. First, I removed the cooked fried rice to a serving platter.

Cook the eggs to the desired doneness.

Top the fried rice with the cooked eggs.

Doesn't that look amazing? If I had hd some green onions, I would have sprinkled them on top...

Enjoy!

Lynn

Kimchi Fried Rice

4 C cold, cooked rice

1 C kimchi, chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 carrots

8-10 mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp grated, fresh ginger

serrano pepper, sliced (to taste, I used about 1/2)

2 TBL soy sauce

2 TBL rice wine vinegar

1 C chopped cooked meat (chicken, beef, shrimp, pork)

2 eggs

cooking oil

Prep all the ingredients.

Heat griddle/wok to high heat and add the carrots and pepper, cooking about 2 minutes or until the carrots begin to soften. Add the garlic and ginger and stir to incorporate. Add the mushrooms and cook, adding more oil as needed. Add the kimchi and cook until warmed through.

Add the soy sauce and rice wine vinegar and incorporate.

Add the cooked meat.

Scramble the eggs and chop then add to rice, or fry the eggs and add to the top of the cooked rice.

My daughter gave me a bag of fresh green beans the last time I visited. Lucky me! I feel like if I have home grown green beans I should do something a little different with them. And, since it's summer, why not something cold? This marinated tomato and bean salad was just right and so easy to make. Make it early in the day to let all the flavors have time to blend together and soak in. Hubby loved it! He said he'd eat it any time I made it. That's a pretty good recommendation. Here's what you'll need:

1 lb fresh green beans, ends trimmed

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, grated

1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan

6 TBL olive oil

2 TBL wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijaon Mustard

1/4 tsp cracked pepper

salt to taste

Start by cooking the green beans in boiling, salted water. You just want to cook them until they begin to soften, but not too much because you want them to stay crisp. Drain them and shock them in cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.

In a large bowl, make the dressing by combining the oil, vinegar, Dijon, pepper, shallot, garlic, and parmesan and mixing well.

Add the cooked green beans and the halved cherry tomatoes and toss to coat. It might look a little thick, but once you pour it over the beans and add the tomatoes it's just right. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Enjoy!

Lynn

Fresh Green Bean Salad

1 lb fresh green beans, ends trimmed

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, grated

1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan

6 TBL olive oil

2 TBL wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijaon Mustard

1/4 tsp cracked pepper

salt to taste

Cook the green beans in salted, boiling water until crisp/tender, about 5-7 minutes. Drain and add to ice water to stop cooking process.

In a large bowl, add the oil, vinegar, and Dijon and whisk to combine. Add the shallot and garlic and stir together. Add the parmesan and season with salt and pepper.

Once the green beans are cool, add them to the dressing and toss to coat. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and toss.

It's that time of year when I start looking for much lighter meals for dinner. Even though we've had a mild summer so far, I still don't feel like sitting down to a heavy dinner. The only problem I have is that if it's too light, I'll want to eat again before bed. Not good. This crab salad is cool and refreshing and it fills me up. Tonight I served it on a layer of sliced avocado, but it's great with crackers. made into a sandwich, or a bed of lettuce. And really, what says summer more than a big pile of lump crab meat? Here's what you'll need:

1 lb lump crab, picked over to remove any bits of shell

2 TBL finely chopped shallot

4 TBL finely chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 TBL fresh lime juice

zest of 1 lime, about 1 tsp

1 tsp horseradish sauce

1 TBL Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

2 TBL mayonnaise

pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the shallots, cilantro, lime zest and lime juice.

Now add the horseradish sauce, dijon mustard, mayonnaise and Old Bay, stirring until well incorporated.

Drain the crab meat and gently fold it into the dressing mixture until all the meat is coated. Season with freshly ground pepper. Because of the natural saltiness of the crab, I don't ad any extra salt, but this is the time to taste it and adjust the seasonings to your personal preference.

Today I served this crab salad over sliced avocado. Cut an avocado in half and remove the seed. Make thin slices while still in the skin, then scoop out the sliced flesh and place it on your serving platter. Season the avocado with salt and pepper and top with the crab salad.